How to Create Your Organization’s Internet Usage Policy
Contrary to how many organizations use them, Internet Usage Policies aren’t just about policing Internet usage to make sure employees stay on task throughout the day.
Aside from the fact that many employees regularly treat their work computers like their own personal shopping malls and social tools, employers also have a legal obligation relating to activities that employees perform while using company Internet.
For protection against costly lawsuits arising from misuse of company resources (illegal software, music, and movie downloads, pornography, etc), organizations should create an Internet Usage Policy that encompasses specifically how the employee can and cannot use company Internet resources.
Designing an Internet Usage Policy is a case where you’ll want to be very specific when outlining employee expectations. Leave nothing up in the air. Every Internet Usage Policy should explicitly state that employees have no expectation of privacy when it comes to the company Internet, among many other things.
The following guidelines will help promote appropriate, ethical, and professional use of company Internet and e-mail systems.
- Internet and email access may not be used for transmitting, retrieving or storing messages that promote any type of discrimination such as sexual, racial, defamatory or harmful activity towards another person
- Illegal activities and any materials that might adversely or negatively reflect the company are forbidden
- Copyrighted material may not be transmitted on the company’s network
- Programs should not be downloaded to company computers without approval
- Each employee is responsible for the content they send through the Internet system
- The company Internet and email should be used for business related activities only (business related activities will vary by company so be sure this is clear to the employee)
- All electronic communications, both internal and external, are property of the company and may be examined, monitored, or regulated at any time.
Now, here is the most important part of all. Too many companies spend time developing great policies, and then fail to communicate them effectively to employees or even follow them at all. This is a big no-no and can result in huge headaches for an organization.
Once an Internet Usage Policy (or any policy for that matter) has been created, employers need to be sure to communicate the policy effectively to their staff. This includes the consequences of a failure to follow the policy. Organizations also need to be sure to train all employees on proper use of the Internet. Each employee can even be required to sign off that he/she has read and understand all of the policies within the employee handbook for additional protection.
As a closing note, we also recommend that employers work with their IT department to develop a plan to monitor Internet usage. This could include randomly monitoring employees’ use as well as implementing a system to specifically monitor the use of an employee who is suspected of policy violation. If a violation does occur, it is then up to the company to handle the situation by disciplining the employee before the situation gets out of hand.
It should be noted that every company is different so not every Internet Usage Policy will be the same. Be sure to think about the acceptable uses of Internet within your company before designing a policy specific to your company.
Follow the tips in this article and your organization will have a much more solid Internet Usage Policy that protects your organization and your employees.
